10 Real Life Events That Forced Wrestling World Title Changes

1. CM Punk's Contract Talks Dictate The WWE Title

option 1 failed drugs test
WWE

Few WWE events have ever had as electric an atmosphere as 2011's Money in the Bank PPV. From start to finish, the Chicago crowd was absolutely rabid throughout that July event, and the reason for this revolved around one person: CM Punk.

This was when Punk's WWE future was massively up in the air. It was detailed on air how the Second City Saint's WWE contract was expiring on the day of the MITB show, and Punk was threatening to kayfabe walk out with the WWE Championship should he defeat John Cena at that PPV.

In reality, the Straight Edge Superstar actually signed a new contract on the day of Money in the Bank - which was the reason why WWE put its biggest prize around his waist.

Going into the PPV, a decision hadn't been made on who would emerge victorious in the Punk vs. Cena bout. That call completely hinged on whether or not the Voice of the Voiceless signed a new contract or not.

If Punk didn't re-sign, Cena would've walked out of Chicago still as WWE Champion, but Punk deciding to ink a new deal meant that he got to be the hometown hero who basked in a truly legendary atmosphere.

Watch Next


Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.